


Rudimentary

by commander_hot_pants



Series: Kord Center Mall [2]
Category: DCU (Comics), Mass Effect - All Media Types, Mass Effect Trilogy, Valor Series - Tanya Huff
Genre: Cross Over, Gen, Set Up, back story, mallverse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-14
Updated: 2019-10-14
Packaged: 2020-12-15 00:33:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,024
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21024821
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/commander_hot_pants/pseuds/commander_hot_pants
Summary: Torin Kerr is head of security at Kord Center Mall. With one of her employees on a long term vacation she must find replacements to fill her empty shifts before another 16 hour shift takes away her sanity.





	Rudimentary

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Forlorn_Melody](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Forlorn_Melody/gifts).

He fishes out a pack of Hubba Bubba from his pocket and out falls a tiny baggy with two pressed pills. Torin raises an eyebrow as he picks it up off the floor and tosses a cube of gum in his mouth.

“What?” Alamber asks, mouth blue from the slurpy he just finished. “You’re not a real cop.” She stares at him until he crosses his arms and huffs. “Oh, come on.” After another minute she presents her empty hand palm up to him. “For fucks sake- _ Fine! _” He puts the baggy into her hand and she pockets it.

“Thank you.”

“Piss off.” Alamber rests his elbows on the counter and pouts. “You just ruined my weekend.”

Torin rolls her eyes, “You know you can enjoy a night without stuffing yourself with drugs, right?” 

“Oh my god, are you my actual mother?” He groans, collapsing completely. “Is that why you came in here? To tell me your my estranged mother? Did you take this job to keep an eye on me. Please tell me Ryder isn't my dad cause I really wanna suck his di-”

“Alamber.” Torin interrupts flatly. “You had a shoplifter earlier?”

“What? Oh,” He circles the counter, points at a half empty display, “Yeah some crack whore pocketed all the glitter eyeliner like an hour ago.” He fingers the empty shelf with a frown. “Mostly just the red though so no big deal." He traces his brow bone where a sheen of gold glitter is catching the light, "I look shitty in red.” Torin sighs and flips open her notepad.

“Can you describe her?”

“I was multitasking Tinder _ and _ Grindr,” He shrugs, hopping onto the counter and reaching over the till to his personal stash of nail polish, “She was like, I-D-K, blonde I guess?” Torin slaps her book closed with a huff.

“Very helpful.”

“It was like a fucking _hour_ ago,” He shrugs beginning to paint his left hand, “I don’t _ remember_. You took your sweet time getting here, what would have happened if she was armed or something?”

“We’re short handed,” She snaps a little louder then she means to, “Maybe you could try to spend more time watching for shoplifting while you’re working.” He pops his gum at her and displays a specific, extremely well groomed finger at her. 

“Why you short-handed?” He asks as she’s about to leave. “Werst didn't quit did he? He’s so much fun.”

Torin turns back, considers ignoring him but decides she’s earned a break, “Werst is still on his honeymoon.”

“Oh right, he’s got that silicon valley sugar daddy.” Alamber scoffs, pulling the neckline of his v-neck down to fiddle with his nipple bar, “Which is total bullshit, by the way. We all know I have first dibs on sugar daddys. I got the perfect resume for it.”

“Ressk’s not his-- don't play with that!” Torin flicks his hand away from his chest.

“Relax," Alamber smirks, "it's just pissed cause it’s been in Binti and Joey’s mouth already today,” 

She raises one slow eyebrow at him, “Not on mall property though, right?” 

“Course not, boss.” He winks at her. Warning him about public indecency is literally pointless so Torin just sighs again, “How long is short and grumpy gone?”

“Four months,” She cracks her neck to both side, “They’re touring Europe.”

“Kay,” He reaches to her, digs his fingers into her shoulder and massages without asking, “you gonna hire some new meat?” Usually, she’d discourage Alamber's constant need to touch but he’s actually _ gifted _ with his hands and its half way through her third 16 hour shift so she lets him.

“Maybe.” 

“Can they be hot?” She shrugs, waits until the bubble he’s blowing is large enough, then pops it with her pen so it splatters over his nose.

“_Maybe_.”

***

Garrus pops two full Starbucks coffees on to the table, “I think we should suggest Miranda drug tests her staff, the barista-”

“Was the personification of hyperactive chaos?” Torin finishes, folding herself in half to reach the coffee without taking her boots down from the table. “Thats not drugs, Bart's just like that.” 

“I think I saw him actually vibrate.” 

Torin laughs and almost inhales the coffee, “Maybe he got into the espresso.”

She tosses her paper onto the desk, Times New Roman font glaring at her from the top page. “This guy listed fireworks as an interest.” She says as the resume skitters to the floor past Garrus. “What is it about mall security that attracts all the crazies?” 

“It attracted us,” Garrus points out, they tip their coffees in silent salute. He settles into the chair across from her and picks up a resume from the table and sighs, “Zaeed applied… _ again. _”

“Twice,” Torin holds up her own version of the resume. “He knows we can't hire anyone with a record.” He tosses it aside. “How about this one. Looks like a straight shooter, played football in college so Mike’ll like him.” 

“Guy Gardner,” Garrus reads, putting the resume in the call back pile. “One potential resume, two open positions.” 

“Shit,” Torin sighs. She glances at the security vids, “Can someone steal something already?” 

“I think I saw Alamber and Joey sneak into the family washroom if you really wanna go spoil someone's night.” Garrus suggests.

“I’ve already ruined Alamber's night enough,” She picks up two resumes and eyes them, “This is weird.”

Garrus perks up in his chair, “How weird?” 

“Look,” She pushes them across the table, “Identical formatting and last name.”

“Same experience too,” He agrees scanning the resumes quickly, “which is none.” 

“Siblings?” Torin asks.

“Different phone num…” Garrus’ eyes narrow and he passes the resumes back. “Call them.”

“Call them?”

“Ex military.” Torin sits up completely this time, scooping the papers back from Garrus' hands . Ex-military were exactly her type, being seven years out herself. 

When Torin came back from her service she’d been lost for a long time, tried on many hats in an attempt to find something that felt normal. It had taken her too damned long to find a place to belong.

“Put them in the pile,” She said, “I’ll call them tomorrow.”


End file.
